La Pasta Carbonara

Early this morning i prepared a hotdog carbonara (suppose to be bacon but i don't have one) to be brought in the office for snacks. Don't be fooled by the looks, this is not a real home made carbonara. The seasoning of this and the cork screw pasta came from 1 pack, instant food if i may say. All i did was to add water, milk, butter, dash of pepper, hotdog and basil leaves - and charan!! - a La Pasta Carbonara. I'm not really a fan of carbonara, i prefer thick sauced pasta thats why i decided to try an instant pack first before making the real one. I forgot the name of the pasta pack, i just bought it somewhere in SM. Neways, this are just for snacks, and i hope they'll like it. =)

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Ginger Fried Spring Rolls

This is one recipe that i took from the show Ka-Toque. Every Saturday i would sit in front of my TV, wait for the show and copy the recipes they cook. Though they don't give you the exact amounts of ingredients used they will show you how to do it and its quite easy to follow.

Last night i made this recipe but since i don't have the exact amount I just estimated the ingredients. The output was OK but the taste is a little too strong because i have added too much ginger on it (living up to its name). Good thing i bought a sweet chili sauce, it complemented the taste of ginger and a nice cold Coke for the chaser.

Anyway, i'll list down the ingredients here but you could modify the amount "depende sa kaon ninyo". Mine is only good for two.



Menu for the Day: Ginger Fried Spring Rolls

Ingredients:
1 small potato, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped ginger
half of small carrot, julienned
1 med fish meat, cubed
1 pc garlic, chopped
1 pc onion, chopped
lumpia wrapper
black pepper
Ajinomoto Ginisa Mix (nag promote pa! hehe)
egg white
oil

Procedure:
1. Saute onion, garlic and fish. Add tomatoes, potatoes, ginger and carrots.
2. Dash with black pepper and season with Aji-ginisa mix.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool.
4. Put a table spoon full in your lumpia wrapper and roll. Seal wrap with egg whites.
5. Heat oil in a pan, fry your spring rolls until golden brown.



Best served with sweet chili sauce. =)

Culinary Term for the day:
Julienne - cut into long thin strips

Okidoki?? Have a nice day!

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Carrot Cake

my carrot cake pasalubong

It always makes me smile everytime i see or hear about carrot cake, coz the very reason why we agreed to meet for the first time at Cafe de France in the early morning of January 7, 2008 was to give him my pasalubong from Bacolod, my home baked Carrot cake. Though that was my very first carrot cake and its not that "lami" he still insisted that i should let him taste so i brought some for him and its just so funny because the cake that i made was more like a fruit-carrot-cake pudding with raisins on top. Though least significant but somehow the cake became a part of our story.

The second time i baked carrot cake was here in Cebu and its more delicious than the first one; this is the recipe that i'm going to share with you today.

Dessert for the Day: Carrot Cake

For Cake
Ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 c vegetable oil
1 c flour
1 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
dash of salt
1 1/2 c grated carrots
3/4 c chips walnut

Procedure:
1. Beat eggs. Add oil and sugar. mix well.
2. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and carrots. Mix.
3. Bake for 30min in 325 deg. F.

Frostings
Ingredients:
8 ounce cream cheese
1/2 c soften butter
4 c confectioner sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Procedure:
1. Beat cheese and butter, add sugar and vanilla. Mix well and spread over carrot.

Haven't tried making the frosting yet "kay kamahal sang cream cheese", but according to my cousin, carrot cakes tastes even more delicious when with frosting.

Next time, if i already have the budget. =)


Ciao!

Update: Chocolate Moist Cake

I watched the pilot episode of True Confections last Saturday in QTv and OMG the desserts are so tempting! I can't help but drool over the cakes and wish that I was the guest or the chef. I really can't stop envying the chefs of the show, how i wish i have all the money in the world to study world class culinary arts but poor me, I'm just one of those viewers wishing the same luck. Haaay.

These past few weeks I've been inquiring about culinary classes here in cebu but up until now i'm still in inquiry stage, hopefully October classes of UCLM haven't started yet coz i still have to save up for my tuition fee. Haaay, again...

"Lord, sana matupad na yung wish ko... i wanna be a chef!" =)

Neways, I have an update on the Chocolate Moist Cake posted last month. Please check.

For the cake's filling, instead of using the same mixture for frosting you could use coffee and milk. Here's how:

For filling:
8 egg yolks
1 can condense milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp coffee powder

Procedure:
1. Add eggs, milk, coffee and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer for 2 minutes.
2. Cook the filling until thick and spreading consistency.
3. Spread in filling in between the cakes.


For those who are cooking and baking fanatics like me, check these shows:

Ka-Toque - Saturdays, 11am, QTv
Quick Fire - Week Nights, 7:10pm, QTv
True Confections - Saturdays, 6:30pm, QTv


Now you know whats my favorite TV channel.. =)

Enjoy!

"Bicol Express"

Yesterday i tried cooking Bicol Express that Jay have been longing to eat for quite some time now. Though i don't eat and don't know how to cook Bicol Express, i went to the market and bought the ingredients i think would suit the dish. I based my cooking from the recipe i found in the net (different from what I'm looking for) and posted the word "BAHALA NA" in my head. Aside from it's usual hot chillies and meat I added some vegetables into it; string beans, ampalaya and eggplant. I served it during dinner yet not quite sure if it'll pass his taste or not, but based on his reaction i think i did OK. Assuming. Hehe. Somehow I'm just a newbie to cooking and I know I still need a lot of practice.


His comment:
- "ok man pud 2ng imong gibuhat, kulang lang cguro sa uban pa na gulay; alugbati, okra, kalabasa..."
(tanan man na di ko ganahan na gulay ang gi-request.. eeww.. hehe)


I won't post the procedure guys "kay trial pa lang to". =)

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Mangga-Sago Dessert

Dessert for the day: Mangga-Sago Dessert

Ingredients:
2 box Nestle Cream
1 can condense milk
1/3 K sago
3 pcs ripe mangoes

Procedure:
1. Boil half full water in a pot, add your sago and stir. Wait until it becomes transparent, add more water until no white spot remains at the center. Strain.
2. Slice your mangoes into small cubes.
3. Mix your cream and condense milk, add your sago and mangoes. Chill.


Best when chilled overnight so the taste of the mangoes will blend with the cream.

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Coconut Macaroons

This is one of the easiest dessert you could bake, just like your one-step hot cake mix, you mix it all and your done. Way back in my high school days my mama would always bake cakes for us and sometimes desserts, one of my favorite is her carrot cake (before, I only eat carrot if its a cake). I also remember the time when we used to make yema balls and polvoron to sell at school, we would all pile up in the table and get our share of "tinda", but before that, we already ate some of the foods that we were supposed to sell.

Macaroons was also one of the desserts taught in our culinary class, from that time i think have baked several sets already. In my previous boarding house it was convenient to bake since we had an oven, i baked some for my friends and some for my office mates, and baked some at home. But now that i am living alone, without a kitchen and an oven, i guess it'll take some time before i could make macaroons again.

Dessert for the day: Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter (soften)
1/3 c flour
200 g desiccated coconut
1/4 sugar
1 can big condense milk
2 pcs egg

Procedure:
1. In a bowl put all the ingredients and mix.
2. Put the mixture into small macaroon pans with colored baking cups. Top with raisin.
3. Bake at 350 deg F for 20 mins or until top is finely browned.



Me making macaroons at home..


Easy, right?? So go ahead and give it a try but dont forget to share some okiez... =)


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